Will LED Light on TK63VR Tekonsha BRAKE-EVN Drain Vehicle Battery?

Updated 05/14/2025 | Published 09/18/2021

Question:

There is a light on the brake controller without the trailer connected. Is this in all the time. Will it pull down the battery

asked by: Kathleen W

Expert Reply:

Brake controllers like your Tekonsha # TK63VR are wired so that they have a direct connection to the vehicle battery. This is done as a safety measure, so the user doesn't accidently forget to turn on the brake controller when towing.

After a between 10 and 20 minutes of inactivity, a brake controller will go into a sleep mode, where they are just about completely powered down. At this point the amount of power they draw is so tiny that you'd need to leave the vehicle unattended for a few months before it would drain the battery. If it makes you feel better, you can unplug the controller from its wiring harness, but please don't forget to plug it back in before towing.

expert reply by: Mike L